The present invention relates to a light diffuser or modifier for use with light sources for image makers in the photography, film, video and motion picture industries. The present invention is especially useful with lighting fixtures that are used in many different applications such as background lighting, studio lighting, video conferencing, news and broadcast, portrait photography, commercial photography and the motion picture and film industries.
Diffused or indirect lighting is used in both still and motion picture type photography. To achieve an indirect, soft-type lighting effect, it is desirable to first either directly or indirectly pass the light through a thin layer of translucent or transparent material to break-up and diffuse the light rays. Such lighting is generally produced by light sources which are remote from the cameras.
Each particular area to be lighted dictates the type and intensity of the light that will be needed. In some situations, direct light from the light source without any alteration may be required. In other situations, direct light may be too long or cast overly distinct shadows in which case a more diffused light will be more desirable. In still other cases, an even more indirect diffused light may be needed to created the proper lighting effect. It is also important to have a great deal of uniformity in lighting to assist the image maker in properly lighting the subject. Two types of light diffusers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,425 and 5,154,503 which are incorporated herein by reference.
The industry has developed a type of light box which fits onto the light and provides a source of diffused light. In the past, the light boxes included a fabric material and four rods which were inserted into openings in the material to give the soft box its square shape. From there, those rods were placed into an adaptor ring which held the light source. On the front of the material was a diffusion panel which the light rays pass through in order to soften the lighting. Typically, the image maker purchased many different appropriate sized light boxes to meet all his needs. There are hundreds of companies in the market making lights and each light takes a different size adapter ring which is specific to the light.
Various companies have front panels which adhere with a Velcro(copyright) type material to the light box to provide different densities of diffusion type product. While this feature is advantageous, there are literally hundreds of choices of diffusion products in the marketplace. The few products which attach with a Velcro(copyright) type product on the front of a diffuser do not provide the image maker with the desired versatility. Therefore, the image maker often cuts different fabrics or colored gels, which are plastic heat resistant colored panels, and attaches them using paper clips to the front of the unit in order to get the desired look.
A major drawback to this system is that by the time the light box unit is constructed using the four rods and the adapter ring, the image maker has consumed valuable time. This is especially important in the video film industry where the image makers arrive in a location and literally have thirty seconds to get the shot that they need, while in reality, setting up of the unit takes five or so minutes in order to achieve the necessary lighting. The image makers are faced with a dilemma of either having a shot with bad lighting or having no shot at all. Further, both the light boxes and adapter rings are very expensive and not easily stored.
The light diffuser should be capable of being used with almost any type of light and preferably be readily and easily attached to and detached from the light source. It is also desirable to have a light diffuser that is a compact, self-contained unit that is easy to position and store.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a light diffuser or modifier that will yield such lighting through a device that is light-weight, compact, easily transported, and readily and easily attached to and detached from the light source.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a light modifier that is useable with a wide variety of light sources.
Other objects and advantageous of the present invention will become more apparent from a further review of the following specification, drawings and claims.
The present invention relates to a light diffuser or modifier which may be readily and easily attached to and detached from many types of light source to provide diffused light for many types of image making purposes.
The light modifier of the present invention comprises a collapsible frame contained within a cover. The frame is moveable from a substantially planar or collapsed, position for storage to an open, or three-dimensional, position for attachment to a light source. The frame has a first support member and a pair of opposing side frame members. Each side frame member is pivotally mounted to at a first end to the first support member for movement from a collapsed position, where the side frame members are substantially planar to the first support member, to an open position for engagement with the light source, where the side frame members are at an angle, preferably at substantially perpendicular angle, with respect to the first support member. The frame further includes a light support member which is rotatably attached to a second end of one of the side frame members. The light support member is attached to the second end of the one side frame member such that the light support member and the first support member are in a substantially parallel relationship when the light modifier of the present invention is in the open or three-dimensional position. The light support member is adapted to receive or be affixedly mounted to and removed from a light source.
The frame is removably positioned in a cover. The cover includes a transparent pocket which is substantially parallel to the first support member. The pocket of the cover is adapted to slideably receive different density gel and/or diffusion fabrics. In a preferred embodiment, the pocket is made of a clear heat shield fabric which retains its integrity and transparency when exposed to various heat intensities. The pocket allows the image maker to use any type of gel or diffusion fabric.
The presence of the pocket in the light modifier of the present invention provides a clear advantage since there are three main types of gels. The first type of gel is used to change the diffusion to either greater or lesser diffusion. The second type is used to change the actual color of the lights. For example, there are lights in the marketplace that have more of a yellow tone and lights in the marketplace that have more of a blue tone. The blue lights provide the brightest light while the yellow light represents more of a yellow white light that is caused by sunlight. With the second type of gel, the light can be changed from yellow to blue and vice versa. The third type of gel is used for background lights for such situations as where the image maker has a gray background and wants to add some blue coloring by placing a blue gel in front of the light.
The light modifier of the present invention allows the image maker to slide hundreds of types of gels and/or diffusion fabrics in the pocket in the cover to create any type of look desired by the image maker. Further, the image maker can slide multiple gels in the pocket at the same time to create literally thousands of different lighting set-ups. The image maker does not need to staple, clip or alter the gel product or diffusion product in any way in order to achieve this effect.
The present invention is collapsible which aids the image maker in both the set up and the storage of the diffuser. During assembly, the image maker grabs the light support member and matingly engages it with one side frame member, as will be described in detail below. This assembly literally takes seconds as compared to the process of setting up the light boxes described above. The light modifier of the present invention allows the image maker to quickly get a shot while not only the being the first to set up and get the coverage needed, but also the benefit of quickly lighting the subject in a desired manner.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the light modifier quickly collapses and can be simply stored. Often image makers store products in lighting kits which are huge briefcases or suitcases. The light modifier of the present invention is both compact and allows all the pieces of the light modifier to remain together for ease of assembly without having to keep track of or hunt around for missing parts.
The light modifier of the present invention provides the image maker with an increased versatility since the modifier can be used with many types of light sources. The present invention offers remarkable versatility not found in other products.
The light modifier of the present invention can be made in different sizes and shapes. For ease in explanation, and in conjunction with the drawings, the light modifier will be shown as substantially square, however, it should be understood that other shapes including rectangular, circular, oval and the like are within the contemplated scope of the present invention and that such uses are contemplated by the inventor herein.